In a lesser-known musical called “Hamilton,” Aaron Burr advises Alexander Hamilton to “talk less” and “smile more.” Hamilton, who is insatiate and unable to contain his passions, flat out rejects Burr’s philosophy. He simply cannot refrain from dreaming big, speaking his mind and chasing what he feels is his destiny. While I see the value in Burr’s more cautious way of living, I hope to become more like Hamilton, who refuses to “throw away his shot.”

I envy people who have dreamed of becoming doctors, lawyers or police officers from a young age. Some of my closest friends have known for years that they want to be accountants or vets. I’m banking on them offering me their guest rooms when they have “real people” jobs and I’m still fetching coffee for NBC executives.

I sometimes feel like I have been cursed with the tendency to gravitate towards unrealistic careers. I have always been drawn to the creative and anyone majoring in the arts, as well as their concerned family members, can tell you just how difficult it is to make a decent living doing something creative.

I’m double-majoring in English and media studies, subjects that I’m definitely passionate about. Telling people my choice of majors often elicits the notorious, “So what will you do?,” question, and with good reason. I’ve been considering what I will have to do post-college to have a sense of fulfillment, happiness and at least enough money for electricity and a Netflix account. I don’t want to be a billionaire (well, not “so freaking bad”), but I definitely do want to be able to support myself. I know that I must factor that in while considering my future career.

My dream job would entail being part of the writing team or research department on a political comedy TV show like "The Daily Show" or "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver." I know that my goals are very narrow and specific. Being part of a writing team on a popular television show is a highly coveted job and positions are extremely rare. There are surely tons of people that have the exact same dream that I have and I’m not sure if I can compete. I’ve been beginning to wonder whether I’d be happier overall if I had a more stable, realistic job.

Unfortunately, I will never be able to have one of the archetypal secure and profitable jobs. I will never be a physician or an accountant, mostly because I am currently struggling to understand the basic concepts of physics introduced in my introduction to astronomy class. I still depend on my phone calculator to figure out how much to tip at restaurants. So, I figure that the most feasible, yet practical job for me would be teaching.

I can see myself enjoying some aspects of teaching. I’m sure I would feel fulfilled sharing my knowledge and teaching the youth of tomorrow. I have so much respect for teachers, and have benefited from some amazing teachers in my life thus far. However, teaching is not something I am genuinely drawn to. If I were to teach, I’d be doing it primarily for the stability. I’d have to abandon my true passions in an attempt to have a secure, respectable job.

I think that teaching just for the stability would not only be detrimental to my overall happiness, but also unfair to my students. I’ve had some amazing teachers in my life and I’ve had some teachers who clearly would rather be doing something else with their lives. I need to be at least slightly passionate about something to care enough about it to do a good job. I know that personally, I’d be a pretty crappy teacher because I could never be fully invested in it. My theory is supported by the fact that I’m currently a pretty crappy waitress because nothing interests me about serving country club diners. While teaching may be a more realistic career for me, I am not sure that it would be worth it to convince myself to like something, instead of fighting to do what I really would want to spend the rest of my life doing.

It may be a somewhat selfish way to live life, but I think that sometimes it’s most important to put weight into your personal happiness. While it’s important to be pragmatic for survival, I see value in taking some risks and pursuing one’s dreams. I think it’s important to have a balance of pragmatism and passion in all aspects of life. But ultimately, I would rather chase my dreams while I’m still young and then find a way to adapt if I fail. I want to take risks now so I don’t have to live with regret when I’m older and have much more to lose. It’s a cliche, but life is truly short. In taking a page from Alexander Hamilton's book, I don’t intend to throw away my shot.